From the Mousetrap Instructor
Chilling excitement in a closed space
Murder in the evening has been a part of my own routine since I was a teenager. It has been enjoyed either in the form of books, TV series or movies. That’s why it was obvious to say yes when I was offered the opportunity to direct the classic of suspense plays The Mousetrap on the Arena stage. I’ve previously acted in a work of this genre, but this was the first time I got to create chilling tension on stage as a director, and this challenge has been enjoyable.
The undisputed queen of detective fiction, Agatha Christie , has created great descriptions of people and tensions in this play. In our version, the visual world is taken to a traditional old English mansion and characters from the 1950s, so Christie fans are sure to get exactly what they expect. In my directing, I have wanted to emphasize the tormenting nature of this situation: a murder takes place in a closed space and anyone can be a murderer – I hope that the coldness and dense atmosphere will also reach the audience as a whole. The best thing about the theatre is that, unlike at home, when the excitement is at its peak, it is not possible to change the channel…
As a director, I have gained an amazing, inspiring and enthusiastic working group for this work. With this group, it has been great to explore the gloom of the human mind, the mathematically accurate plot and the tuning of suspense to the extreme – all of this has happened in a rather boisterous and laughter-filled atmosphere. This is the only way to create the magic of a detective story on stage.
Why is suspense so popular as a genre? At least for me, it gives me pleasure that, unlike in this chaotic world of ours, detective stories almost always have an ending where the evil is revealed and one is held accountable. It’s satisfying. The ending is in this performance as well, but now comes the most important thing for you, the viewer: do not reveal it to anyone after the performance, so that future viewers also have the opportunity to feel like the Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot of their own lives!
I welcome you to the excitement!
-Miika Muranen, director